1:00 pm: Transforming How We TEACH Is Good, BUT Transforming What We Expect Students to LEARN Is Better

Diane Ebert-May, Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University
Ebert-May’s research investigates how college students learn best, and how college researchers (graduate students, postdocs and faculty) learn to become more effective instructors.

3:10 pm: Workshop on Active Learning in the Biomedical Sciences
Francis Amara, Department of Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba
This workshop is specifically designed for bioscience researchers; it will focus on 'Group Learning on Critical Appraisal of a Primary Biomedical Article'.

4:00 pm: Mini-talks on Educational Innovations by Workshop Participants
The format for these talks is an even-shorter version of a ‘PechaKucha’ talk, with 10 slides presented for 20 seconds each, for a total of 3 minutes 20 seconds. An additional 1.5 minutes will be allowed for one or two questions.

12:30 - 13:30

Chairs: Geoff Hunt, Thomas Baldwin, USA

The importance of effective communication skills is increasingly being recognized throughout the medical and scientific communities, especially amongst students. However, provision of proper, credible training in this area has failed to match the growing demand. In this session, representatives from the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology will present about the society’s novel online training course, “The Art of Science Communication.” Attendees will learn about the genesis of the course, get exposed to course content and format, and will get hands-on experience working through actual exercises that are undertaken by course participants.

12:30 - 13:30

Chairs: Enikö Megyeri-Lawless, USA

NSERC aims to make Canada a country of
discoverers and innovators for the benefit of
all Canadians. The agency supports university
students in their advanced studies, promotes
and supports discovery research, and fosters
innovation by encouraging Canadian companies
to participate and invest in postsecondary
research projects. NSERC researchers are on
the vanguard of science, building on Canada’s
long tradition of scientific excellence.

12:15 - 13:15

Chairs: Phillip Nagley, Australia

*Registration Fee: Included in Full Conference Registration
*Open to ALL registered delegates

The practice and development of science depends on effective communication, often involving the written word. A strong foundation on which writing should be based is a core process of scientific argument, namely: proposition; evidence; evaluation and conclusion. This core process is embedded in the traditional layout of scientific manuscripts that report primary research. Such core process of scientific argument also needs to be adhered to by writers collating and evaluating the published work of other scientists, for example, in authoritative reviews or in shorter articles highlighting recently published work. Other forms of scientific writing are carried out in a closed and confidential context, which also requires adherence to the core scientific argument. These include writing applications for grants or the peer review of manuscripts for publication or grant applications for funding, submitted by other authors. A particular need for precise argument and convincing logic applies when authors are responding to the comments of reviewers of articles submitted for publication, or to assessors of applications for funding. For all the above purposes, the writing must display a strong clarity of purpose and a high degree of precision in the words used. Moreover, the written work as a whole must be tailored at an appropriate level of detail (and choice of words) to optimally reach the intended wide audience or the smaller target group of particular people. Understanding the elements of written scientific communication and the various contexts in which it properly takes place are fundamental to the skill set of the scientist throughout his or her career.